Chilling footage shows Hamas operating out of Gaza hospitals, says Israel

Israel released chilling footage Sunday showing what it said were Hamas terrorists operating out of two hospitals around Gaza City — as it vowed to have the enclave surrounded within 48 hours and start street combat.

Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari presented videos to reporters that he said revealed Hamas agents using an underground entrance tunnel at the Sheikh Hamad Hospital — and also opening fire at Israeli forces from the medical center, the Times of Israel reported.

“If it weren’t enough that we exposed a tunnel under the hospital, the terrorists also shot at our soldiers from within the hospital,” Hagari said.

The IDF spokesman said Israel also uncovered a tunnel network under Indonesian Hospital, as well as rocket launchers stationed near the building.

“Hamas systematically built the Indonesian Hospital to disguise its underground terror infrastructure,” Hagari alleged while producing a military aerial shot of the complex.

He also presented recordings of Hamas officials allegedly discussing their use of fuel reserves that belong to the hospital.

Humanitarian groups have warned that fuel desperately needed for civilians is running out for medical facilities and water pumps across Gaza.

The IDF videos come after Israel garnered condemnation from humanitarian groups for airstrikes near hospitals where tens of thousands of Palestians are being treated and taking shelter in.

The IDF has claimed that Hamas’ 300-mile long tunnel network runs underneath hospitals — accusing the terrorists of hiding behind wounded Palestinians.

Israel’s military said it will have completely surrounded Gaza City within two days and begin a ground invasion there.

But it said Israeli soldiers would avoid entering the tunnel system, under the assumption that its passageways are booby-trapped, local outlet Haaretz reported.

The current invasion plan will see the IDF encircle Gaza and advance with caution, systematically clearing areas and wiping Hamas off the map in an occupation that will last for a number of months to a year or even more, officials said.

The tunnels will be dealt with at a later stage in the invasion, but entrances may be hit with airstrikes should intelligence dictate that as necessary, Israel said.

While the IDF has not given orders to its soldiers to storm the hospitals, including the Shifa Hospital where senior Hamas figures are believed to be hiding, Israel officials did not rule out the use of military force there, according to Haaretz.

The Israeli Air Force has dropped more than 1.5 million fliers in northern Gaza and made more than 20,000 calls to urge Palestinians to evacuate ahead of the Gaza City invasion, Hagari said.

“Our war is with Hamas, not the civilians in Gaza. We will not accept Hamas’s cynical use of hospitals to hide their terror infrastructure,” Hagari said. “Hamas’s exploitation of hospitals must come to an end.”

Despite the calls for evacuation, hospital officials have repeatedly said it would be impossible to empty Gaza’s medical centers.

Several hospitals operating in the Palestinian enclave have said they have many patients in intensive care and children in incubators who cannot be moved so easily in order to shelter from airstrikes.